


Life after Death

by jjjjxce



Category: Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Adorable Ishimaru Kiyotaka, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Anxiety Disorder, Asexual Character, Bipolar Disorder, Bisexual Character, Confused Naegi Makoto, Crying, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dead People, Depression, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Dork Ishimaru Kiyotaka, Dork Naegi Makoto, Dork Owada Mondo, Eating Disorders, Everyone Has Issues, Everyone Is Gay, Everyone Needs A Hug, Everyone is Trans, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fukawa Toko Isn't Obsessed With Togami Byakuya, Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Fujisaki Chihiro, Heavy Angst, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Internalized Homophobia, Kirigiri Kyoko is so Done, Lowercase, M/M, Mental Breakdown, Mental Health Issues, Multi, Naegi Makoto Being an Idiot, Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary Fujisaki Chihiro, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Out of Character, Owada Mondo Swears, Panic Attacks, Pansexual Character, Polyamorous Character, Polyamory, Poor Life Choices, Post-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sassy Fujisaki Chihiro, Self-Harm, Togami Byakuya Being An Asshole, Trans Celestia Ludenberg, Trans Character, Trans Female Character, Trans Hagakure Yasuhiro, Trans Ishimaru Kiyotaka, Trans Kirigiri Kyoko, Trans Kuwata Leon, Trans Maizono Sayaka, Trans Male Character, Trans Naegi Makoto, Trans Ogami Sakura, Trans Owada Mondo, everyone has PTSD, idk what else to tag, literally they’re all fucked, major trigger warning, this shit is a mess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:55:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26001505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jjjjxce/pseuds/jjjjxce
Summary: life after death is hardly ever what you expect it to be. you certainly don’t expect to STILL BE AT SCHOOL.
Relationships: Asahina Aoi/Celestia Ludenberg, Asahina Aoi/Fujisaki Chihiro, Asahina Aoi/Fukawa Touko, Asahina Aoi/Hagakure Yasuhiro, Asahina Aoi/Ikusaba Mukuro, Asahina Aoi/Ishimaru Kiyotaka, Asahina Aoi/Kirigiri Kyoko, Asahina Aoi/Kuwata Leon, Asahina Aoi/Maizono Sayaka, Asahina Aoi/Naegi Makoto, Asahina Aoi/Ogami Sakura, Asahina Aoi/Owada Mondo, Celestia Ludenberg/Maizono Sayaka, Celestia Ludenberg/Naegi Makoto, Celestia Ludenberg/Ogami Sakura, Class 78/Class 78, Fujisaki Chihiro/Celestia Ludenberg, Fujisaki Chihiro/Fukawa Touko, Fujisaki Chihiro/Hagakure Yasuhiro, Fujisaki Chihiro/Ikusaba Mukuro, Fujisaki Chihiro/Ishimaru Kiyotaka, Fujisaki Chihiro/Ishimaru Kiyotaka/Oowada Mondo, Fujisaki Chihiro/Kirigiri Kyoko, Fujisaki Chihiro/Kuwata Leon, Fujisaki Chihiro/Maizono Sayaka, Fujisaki Chihiro/Naegi Makoto, Fujisaki Chihiro/Ogami Sakura, Fujisaki Chihiro/Oowada Mondo, Fukawa Toko/Kirigiri Kyoko, Fukawa Toko/Ogami Sakura, Fukawa Touko/Celestia Ludenberg, Fukawa Touko/Hagakure Yasuhiro, Fukawa Touko/Ikusaba Mukuro, Fukawa Touko/Ishimaru Kiyotaka, Fukawa Touko/Kuwata Leon, Fukawa Touko/Maizono Sayaka, Fukawa Touko/Naegi Makoto, Fukawa Touko/Oowada Mondo, Hagakure Yasuhiro/Celestia Ludenberg, Hagakure Yasuhiro/Ikusaba Mukuro, Hagakure Yasuhiro/Ishimaru Kiyotaka, Hagakure Yasuhiro/Kirigiri Kyoko, Hagakure Yasuhiro/Kuwata Leon, Hagakure Yasuhiro/Maizono Sayaka, Hagakure Yasuhiro/Naegi Makoto, Hagakure Yasuhiro/Ogami Sakura, Hagakure Yasuhiro/Oowada Mondo, Ikusaba Mukuro/Celestia Ludenberg, Ikusaba Mukuro/Ishimaru Kiyotaka, Ikusaba Mukuro/Kirigiri Kyoko, Ikusaba Mukuro/Kuwata Leon, Ikusaba Mukuro/Maizono Sayaka, Ikusaba Mukuro/Naegi Makoto, Ikusaba Mukuro/Ogami Sakura, Ishimaru Kiyotaka/Celestia Ludenberg, Ishimaru Kiyotaka/Kirigiri Kyoko, Ishimaru Kiyotaka/Kuwata Leon, Ishimaru Kiyotaka/Maizono Sayaka, Ishimaru Kiyotaka/Naegi Makoto, Ishimaru Kiyotaka/Ogami Sakura, Ishimaru Kiyotaka/Oowada Mondo, Kirigiri Kyoko/Celestia Ludenberg, Kirigiri Kyoko/Kuwata Leon, Kirigiri Kyoko/Maizono Sayaka, Kirigiri Kyoko/Naegi Makoto, Kirigiri Kyoko/Ogami Sakura, Kuwata Leon/Celestia Ludenberg, Kuwata Leon/Maizono Sayaka, Kuwata Leon/Naegi Makoto, Kuwata Leon/Ogami Sakura, Kuwata Leon/Oowada Mondo, Maizono Sayaka/Naegi Makoto, Maizono Sayaka/Ogami Sakura, Maizono Sayaka/Oowada Mondo, Naegi Makoto/Ogami Sakura, Naegi Makoto/Oowada Mondo, Ogami Sakura/Owada Mondo, Oowada Mondo/Celestia Ludenburg, Oowada Mondo/Ikusaba Mukuro, Oowada Mondo/Kirigiri Kiyoko
Comments: 16
Kudos: 103





	1. fujisaki wakes up

**Author's Note:**

> this should be multi chapter, at least that is my intention. for the characters-
> 
> fujisaki chihiro:  
> they/them, nonbinary  
> anxiety and ptsd  
> owada mondo:  
> he/him, ftm  
> ptsd, bipolar disorder  
> ishimaru kiyotaka:  
> he/him, ftm  
> ptsd, ocd  
> kuwata leon:  
> he/him, ftm  
> ptsd  
> maizono sayaka:  
> she/her, mtf  
> ptsd, depression  
> ikusaba mukuro:  
> she/her, cis  
> ptsd  
> kirigiri kyoko:  
> she/her, mtf  
> ptsd  
> celestia ludenberg:  
> she/her, mtf  
> ocd, ptsd  
> naegi makoto:  
> he/him, ftm  
> ptsd, anxiety  
> hagakure yasuhiro:  
> he/him, ftm  
> ptsd  
> fukawa touko:  
> she/her, cis  
> ptsd, DID  
> asahina aoi:  
> she/her, cis  
> ptsd, bulimia  
> ogami sakura:  
> she/her, mtf  
> ptsd

in retrospect, fujisaki shouldn’t have expected much from the afterlife. they weren’t very religious, and they didn’t have much of an opinion on “life after death”. being thrown into a school of killing didn’t help their view change much either, surprisingly. they mainly focused on staying alive, rather than the concept of death.

dying, of course, was a shock. not a big one, but a shock none the less. the person who had killed them actually surprised fujisaki more than the actual act of dying itself. oowada had been a role model to the smaller since they arrived in the deadly building, so him being fujisaki’s killer was strange. in their last moments alive, though, oowada really hadn’t been himself. the motive had placed him in a nasty situation, and stress had been eating him alive. fujisaki knew the oowada that had been their mentor, friend, and even crush, was not the same oowada that had killed them.

the final blow really hadn’t hurt that much. when they awoke, they simply had a pounding headache. of course, the headache hadn’t been their concern. no, it was the fact that they had actually woken up.

the first thing they noticed was that they were no longer in the locker room. instead, they were lying in their dorm room, or a much nicer version of it. it seemed that all of the windows were now visible, revealing gorgeous scenery and sunlight. the next thing they realized was they were not alone. in fact, beside them was kuwata leon, slumped over in a chair and asleep. 

fujisaki giggled lightly and began to say up, grimacing at the pounding in their head. they gently reached out to kuwata, who jumped when their hands touched. his eyes were wide and he looked around frantically before settling his gaze on fujisaki. they grinned at each other, both happy to see the other once again.

fujisaki began to ask questions, and kuwata answered, eyes sad as they looked at the smaller. it turned out that, as chihiro had guessed, they had actually lost their memories. enoshima junko was the mastermind, bringing despair to the worlds only hopes. they had all known each other prior to the game starting, and had all been quite close. in fact, fujisaki had been in a relationship.

their partners had actually been most of their class, excluding hifumi and byakuya. they had been madly in love, a bond far stronger than one that most classmates had, until the worlds end arrived.

upon hearing this, fujisaki burst into tears, memories flooding their mind at an overwhelming pace. kuwata held them through it, whispering kindly into their ear. they sobbed, hard and ugly, but it didn’t matter because they could finally remember.

when they had finished, the taller of the two walked them into the main hall, where maizono and a girl fujisaki remembered as ikusaba sat. they glanced up when kuwata opened the door, and tears had sprung into maizono’s eyes as she ran toward fujisaki. once again, they cried, holding each other tightly and whimpering about how much they loved each other. 

upon parting from maizono’s hug, they stared into the eyes of ikusaba. the taller of the two leaned down and smiled at fujisaki, pulling them into a tight hug. fujisaki was truly getting tired of all of the sobbing, but they couldn’t help it as more tears spilled from their eyes. it was all so overwhelming, and yet they couldn’t be happier.

the next thing fujisaki learnt was that in the library there was a ball, similar to that of yasuhiro’s, where they could watch their living classmates. the smallest of the group didn’t know if they were quite ready to witness anything else in that death trap, and yet they still stood with the others and watched.

the others had clearly discovered their body, because they were in the middle of a trial. seeing their partners faces as they accused each other of murder was horrible, and they once again began to cry. they barely had any tears left, and yet more seemed to spill down their cheeks.

oowada was stressing, fujisaki noticed. they remembered his tells, and they could tell he was on the verge of having a panic attack. fujisaki wished they could reach out and hold him, tell him it was okay and that they forgave him. naegi sighed, and swiftly accused oowada of murdering fujisaki.

oowada’s confession hurt almost as much as ishimaru’s cries. the prefect sobbed as the biker admitted to his reasons, and fujisaki did too. they remembered the day oowada had showed up to school, eyes tired and red. he had said that he killed his brother, and yet nobody had believed him. fujisaki had gotten him to admit that it was simply survivors guilt, and yet, hearing the story again broke them all the same.

the four of them had turned away as oowada was executed. they could still hear ishimaru’s cries and oowada’s screams, but it was a relief that they didn’t have to see it. when the sound of the elevator moving began, fujisaki turned. they knew, now, that oowada would be arriving here any time now. they hadn’t seen much of the school, but their memories helped guide them.

oowada’s door was closed tightly, but fujisaki didn’t care much. they calmly opened the door, telling themselves they wouldn’t cry, even if it wasn’t true.

on his bed, was oowada mondo. he looked just as he had before execution, but much more peaceful. fujisaki, tears in their eyes, sat in a chair, and waited. waited for their lover to awaken from the slumber that was death.


	2. Chapter 2

sleeping peacefully was something fujisaki had learnt not to take for granted in hopes peak. watching oowada sleep may have been slightly creepy, but they couldn’t help it. he looked so much younger, the intimidating look he normally sported gone, instead being replaced by one of serene calmness.

oowada had been asleep for awhile, around 32 hours from what fujisaki could tell. they knew he needed the rest, but it was becoming increasingly challenging to not just up and shake him awake. with their newfound memories tucked safely in their mind, they only wished they could hold oowada and show him the forgiveness he deserved.

kuwata stopped by a few moments after, signalling that it was his turn to watch. fujisaki frowned, but stood anyways, placing a quick kiss on their partner’s lips before exiting the room.

kuwata sat heavily in the chair, eyes filled with sorrow as he stared at oowada. the biker was so strong, and yet his secret had driven him to murder. the stupid bear had taken away his life, the one thing to be cherished most. in the redheads eyes, he was not a murderer, but a boy haunted by the horrors of his past.

the baseball player placed a hand on oowada’s, a small smile gracing his features. it was lovely, seeing him again. being able to touch him, talk to him. in life, kuwata and oowada had been extremely close. when ishimaru had gotten close to oowada, kuwata didn’t feel jealousy. his heart had swelled and he had smiled wide whilst oowada raved about his new friend. the biker had been quite antisocial and rude, so seeing him like this was like a dream.

kuwata decided to rest his eyes, whilst hoping that soon oowada would wake. it had been so long since the two had held each other.

meanwhile, fujisaki and maizono were standing out in the courtyard. the two of them inspected the flowers, cracking jokes and giggling. in life they had often picked bouquets for their other partners together, along with fukawa and naegi. the sunlight and mixing scents of pollens was a fantastic stress reliever for the four of them.

in the corner of their eye, fujisaki spotted a beautiful purple flower. it stood out amongst a patch of white, tall and bright, screaming to be picked. they reached out to it, brushing their fingers along its petals. it was perfectly imperfect, perfectly fitting for a beautiful woman such a maizono. fujisaki quickly plucked it from the ground, grabbing a few of the surrounding white flowers as well.

maizono turned to them, only to find the small bouquet in their face instead of fujisaki. she gasped, gently grabbing hold of it. her eyes scanned her partners face, finding nothing but a look of admiration. quickly, being sure to set the flowers down first, she grabbed onto fujisaki, holding them tightly with eyes full of tears.

the beauty of the moment being shared between the two was truly almost too much for ikusaba, but she pushed forward anyways. the soldier quietly moved in front of the two, lightly tapping their backs. her eyes fluttered shut, and she began to speak of how she had heard kuwata scream, very loudly mind you, from oowada’s room.

that got a reaction out of the duo very quickly, fujisaki practically throwing themselves out of maizono’s arms and sprinting off. maizono, on the other hand, took ikusaba’s hand and stood, smiling gratefully. hand in hand, the girls swiftly walked towards oowada, hoping their partner was finally awake to be with them once more.


	3. written at 2 am, on my meds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a garbage fire. i don’t even know what this is, and i’m never gonna proofread it. i hope you enjoy!!

oowada had never been one to cry. he was a man, and from a young age he had been taught that men did not cry. he had believed that statement, believed that crying made you weak.

during his execution, he did not cry. he wanted to, hearing ishimaru scream and cry and gag on his tears as oowada spun around in the cage of death. he didn’t, though. he kept a straight face for most of it, until he lost feeling in most of his body and blacked out from the sheer amount of force being put onto his body. he had felt his binder crushing his lungs, felt his face almost peeling off. but he did not cry, because men did not cry.

apparently, that sentiment had not followed him into the afterlife, because the moment he awoke and found himself in his room with kuwata, he began to sob. heaving, heartfelt cries left his body as he remembered everything. he remembered his relationship with classmates, his relationship with ishimaru. he felt the phantom pains of his execution, only fuelling his tears. kuwata had bounced awake, letting out a scream before he noticed oowada’s crying and held him.

as the artificial blond came down from his breakdown, he distantly realized that others were in the room. he also noticed that he was no longer wearing his binder, but simply a t-shirt and boxers. dysphoria was the last of his problems though, because standing before him was fujisaki chihiro, his partner whom he had murdered.

fujisaki’s face was one of sympathy yet joy, and oowada couldn’t help but begin crying once more, “sorry”’s and “i love you”‘s spilling from his mouth. the shorter simply embraced him, whispering sweet nothings into his ear and telling him that it was okay, they forgave him.

maizono gently sat down next to oowada, humming softly and rubbing his back. the biker pushed the thought that he wasn’t a baby and didn’t need to be treated like one away. it felt nice to be comforted, to release emotions. the tune maizono hummed had actually been ishimaru’s favourite song, oowada realized. instead of hurting him though, it helped him. it felt as though ishimaru was there, with him, holding him and singing softly in his ear.

the tall male looked up from the huddle he was in, finding a familiar face staring at him. ikusaba wore a small smile, her posture relaxed. oowada smiled lightly at her, making a “come here” gesture to the soldier. she did, and the embrace became tighter as the five students sat peacefully, listening to the humming from maizono. oowada silently hoped that maybe, the moment could last forever.

it didn’t. a familiar jingle played on the speakers, but no announcement came after, signalling that a new student had died. a gasp came from maizono, the singer quickly standing and running out of the room without explaining, kuwata following on her trail. ikusaba explained swiftly what the bell symbolized, but quickly insisted that oowada was not well enough to get up yet. his execution had been much harsher than fujisaki’s death, and they did not want to risk him getting hurt by being too careless with his health.

fujisaki stayed with him. they curled up in the bed with him and called him manly things whilst reminding him that it was okay to need a break, and that he would be able to see the new arrival soon, when he was truly ready to get up.

he lied his head back on the pillow, and fujisaki proceeded to resume humming where maizono had left off. soon, oowada thought, he would sleep once more, and maybe his dreams wouldn’t consist of his friends and partners dying. maybe he would finally be able to experience happiness at its fullest, like he had when he first arrived at hopes peak.

kuwata and maizono didn’t know how to react when they found ishimaru, standing outside his dorm, rubbing his head. they didn’t scream, absolutely terrified of alerting oowada and making him come to them. ikusaba decided she was the one who would take initiative, gently tapping the prefect on his shoulder.

instead of a shout, like the trio had expected, ishimaru simply sighed. he turned to them, a small grin adorning his face. he whispered to them, revealing how he had practically killed himself to be with oowada again. he revealed the fact that, just before the world went black, he began to remember the relationships he had built before the killing game. 

kuwata held him, muscles tense. he cried, asking him why he did it, why he had let himself die, and the noirette didn’t reply. kuwata already knew, what was the point in explaining. he would finally get to see oowada, finally get to hold him and kiss him and do all the things he couldn’t do during the killing game. 

the group, after much insistance from ishimaru, headed back to oowad’s room. the prefect didn’t know how to react, really, when he saw him. they had both seen each other without their binders, but this somehow felt so much different. oowada looked so casual, so angelic, sitting there with fujisaki, limbs tangled together. oowada definitely returned the sentiment, staring at ishimaru with wide eyes.

ishimaru was dressed simply, a wool sweater and sweatpants donning his body, hiding the curves he despised oh so much very well. the biker gaped, unable to form any words, staring into his lovers soul like it was the only thing he could see.

and really, it was. ishimaru was the only thing oowada could see, and that was fine. his mind was a mural, dedicated to the beauty of ishimaru kiyotaka. the ruby colour of his eyes, the deep colour of his hair, the paper white skin on his hands. a masterpiece, one made by a man desperately in love. and finally, at long last, they embraced like they used to, fujisaki joining in, as emotions flowed around them like a river flowing into the ocean. reunited, they were, artistically falling into each other, their love the only bond needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh GOD


	4. memories and fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> leon kuwata has a lot of thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is kinda messy but that’s fine!! anyways this is a very leon centric chapter so i hope you enjoy :))

kuwata could remember the day he and kiyotaka had first bonded vividly. it had been a few months since they had started their first year at hopes peak, and kuwata had already made quite the first impression. 

he had been running from an upperclassman, absolutely horrified, when he had rammed headfirst into the hall monitor himself. the taller of the two gasped out, and kuwata promptly fell to the ground, panting with tears in his eyes. it was clear that ishimaru had wanted to yell at him, but he seemed to realize quickly that that wasn’t the best option at the moment. he had reached down and pulled the redhead up, before moving in front of him. 

the taller student had made a great effort to protect him from the bullies, actively taking punches for kuwata, before giving them all detention. afterwards, kuwata had tended to his wounds, and ishimaru gave him detention as well, for running in the halls.

later that day, kuwata had arrived in the detention room, and found the prefect sitting at the front of the room, laughing at a joke oowada had made. it wasn’t any surprise to see the blond in here, they often got in trouble together, but what was a surprise was to see him and ishimaru all buddy-buddy.

the pair had revealed that same day that they were dating, having bonded in the sauna and becoming friends, then lovers. they were the first two in their class to get together, the start of their huge relationship. 

the memory was a fond one, especially for kuwata. when he had first arrived in this ideal hopes peak, he was a wreck. traumatized from both killing maizono and his own execution. and then he found himself face to face with the girl! he had practically weeped, holding her tight, sobbing out “i’m sorry” over and over. maizono had held him through it, and slowly, he fell asleep.

during his sleep, his memories presented themselves in the form of dreams. unlike oowada or chihiro, he had wound up in the place quite lively. he had awoken promptly after arriving, having felt like he was falling and jolting awake, therefore his brain hadn’t had much of an opportunity to process the situation nor his memories.

now, in the present day, he was almost grateful for that. it was much less overwhelming to have memories come to him as dreams, rather than all at once in the form of a major migraine.

when he had awoke for the second time, he was greeted with the sight of ikusaba. the two had gently embraced, and ikusaba explained the situation to the redhead softly, allowing him to feel what he needed, and cry into her shoulder.

kuwata was snapped out of his thoughts by a gentle tap on his shoulder. he jumped and spun around, before lightly pushing the shoulder of his offender. it was oowada, smiling down at him, now dressed in a tank top and his usual sweats. the redhead could just drool staring at him, he looked so good. he wouldn’t mind if the taller just bent him over right here and- oowada was staring at him.

the biker and kuwata began to speak softly, oowada steering the shorter over to the crystal ball. kuwata gave him a questioning look, but the other simply pointed to the images on the ball.

kuwata wasn’t surprised to see that a trial was happening. the last time he had checked on the ball, hifumi had been dead, and everyone was doing an investigation. what did surprise him was celestia’s outburst. seeing her shout, watching her crumble as the other brought up her “real” name. of course, celeste would get angry hearing that. kuwata just... didn’t expect her to be so extreme.

the final reveal was really the worst. even if it had been clear she was the killer, kuwata didn’t want to watch her die. of course, he would get to see her again, another partner added to the list of reunited. why would he want her dead, though? maizono hadn’t wanted him dead, just as fujisaki hadn’t wanted oowada dead. he didn’t want to see her again, because it would mean she had lost her one chance at life.

her exit was heartbreaking. the clear way she was terrified, yet faked a smile and walked out with her head high. kuwata had tears in his eyes, and oowada was squeezing his hand with impressive strength.

the execution was fitting. burnt alive, like a witch. her poker face was impressive, but her eyes said everything that the two males needed to know. she was terrified. when the fire truck came rushing in, oowada choked out a sob as kuwata gasped, desperately wanting to pull his eyes away, yet keeping them trained on the scene anyways.

the truck hit her full force, and a few moments later, the bell went off once more. kuwata didn’t move, though. he stayed put, watching kirigiri and togami. the two kept straight faces, on stony and the other unimpressed. kuwata wondered if, deep inside, they felt that deep out of grief, just as he had. he wondered if, even without their memories, watching their lover die had brought them great pain.

it seemed as though time had stilled, and then kuwata turned, abruptly exiting the library, leaving oowada shellshocked and alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i’m such a leon kinny!!


	5. naegi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a chapter from the point of a living character, naegi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i changed the style of this a bit!! i don’t know if I like it better but anyways!! i hope you enjoy

naegi was lost. he was lost and scared and he really didn’t know what to do. celeste was dead. hifumi was dead. ishimaru, someone ever so close to the short boy, was dead. naegi simply didn’t know what to do now.

kirigiri comforted him. after watching celeste’s execution, he had felt sick. it was surprising, really. he should’ve been over this by now, after seeing so many of his friends dying. and yet, here he was, throwing up in his bathroom with yasuhiro close behind him.

the taller tried to offer naegi words of comfort. the brunet was thankful, he really was, but he had heard them so many times that, by now, they really held no meaning. still, the clairvoyant sat down next to naegi, running soothing circles on his back while he dry heaved. naegi felt overwhelmingly grateful for him in that moment.

few words were spoken once he had finished. yasuhiro simply stood, taking naegis hand and leading him over to his bed. the room was awfully plain, and naegi craved some semblance of individuality. he wished to see posters of the boy bands he liked. he definitely wished his pride flags were here.

“naegi, you have to take your binder off,” yasuhiro, already moving to take naegi’s shirt off, startled the boy out of his thoughts. the brunet let him do as he pleased, allowing the taller to remove his binder, before slipping a new, stainless shirt. naegi smiled at him, one of his genuine smiles, and yasuhiro smiled back. naegi felt his heart skip a beat.

yasuhiro then grabbed naegi by the hand, leading him out of the room. by now, naegi was used to wandering the halls after executions with him, binderless and content with the company of the stoner. this night was no different, the two walking hand in hand aimlessly through the halls.

naegi knew, deep down, that yasuhiro was scared. he was terrified, and after the close call today, he must have felt more on edge than anyone. the short boy gently pulled yasuhiro to a stop, silently gesturing for him to come closer. he did as he was told, and naegi pulled him in for a hug. he held him, silently and strong, wanting to be there for his friend.

hiro began to cry, but naegi didn’t mind. he continued to hold him, not worried about dirtying his shirt. the taller cried, sobbed and whimpered for a long while, eventually ending up sitting against a wall beside naegi. they were actually sitting outside of kuwata’s dorm, a sad thought. yasuhiro and kuwata had been very close. naegi regretted it, letting his execution happen. he felt like it was his fault. yasuhiro assured him it wasn’t.

“naegi, can i ask you something?” naegi blinked, staring at him. yasuhiro continued on, asking naegi softly about where he thought the others had gone after they died. naegi answered truthfully. he didn’t know what he thought. he had hopes, and prayed that they had ended up somewhere nice. yet, in the back of his mind, there was the gentle nagging, insisting he would never see them again. that, after death, there was nothing. naegi despised that voice.

the two boys leaned on each other for support, and exchanged soft words over the course of the night. even after the nighttime announcement, they stayed put, on the floor, smiling and allowing each other to feel at ease. they trusted each other, and even if this was a killing game, naegi felt he had nothing left to lose. they fell asleep to the sound of air conditioning and their own breaths.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> boobs

**Author's Note:**

> i sure hope you enjoyed, and that this isn’t as bad as i think it is


End file.
